bAit
by blackr00t
Summary: 'Emily had grieved so many times over Alison's death and here she now stood a coy grin playing about her lips. She was warm, she was breathing and against all the odds still very much alive.' Takes place after the Halloween episode Grave New World (4x13). The Liars, one of them more than the others, must come to terms with seeing Ali again. More chapters on the way.
1. Previously on Pretty Little Liars

Emily had felt uneasy every day since 'A' had returned to her life but the usual fear she felt deep in her gut had been replaced by something entirely different in recent days.

Being afraid had become almost routine. She'd wake up, brush her teeth, receive a toxic text message from 'A' and then it was off to school where she'd discuss said message with the girls before the bell rang and it was back to pretending for a few hours that there wasn't any danger at all. There was though. They'd had targets on their backs from day one and who knows how many more days they'd have to carry them around.

Emily felt the tension in her shoulders when she sat back in her chair in class and tried not to notice how her body twitched every time her phone went off. She could feel the weight of it in her jacket pocket or pressed against her hip when it was tucked in her jeans. It was always switched on just like her.

Going through the day constantly alert really took its toll and yet tired as she was, Emily still found it hard to fall asleep at night. Somehow, she did sleep and had to if she wanted to perform well in swimming or on a test that she had to take the next day.

A few weeks had passed since Halloween and Emily had traded in that routine for a new one.

Instead of slapping a hand over her alarm clock before springing out of bed, she just lay there letting it beep until finally her mother came into her room to silence it. Instead of taking notes in class she just sat there numb to her surroundings and caught only the gist of the overall lesson.

It was like walking into your own home, knowing every square inch and yet a seemingly new door has revealed itself in your living room that you know wasn't there before. You think you _know_ something; it is a concrete _fact_ in your mind and after everything that had happened the death of her friend was the one thing that was unquestionable in Emily's life, then the rug was pulled clean from under her feet. It was just another ruse, another lie to add to all the others.

Alison Dilaurentis was alive and that unsettled Emily more than anything 'A' could ever do to her.

~~ FLASHBACK ~~

_"Did you miss me?" She said._

_Emily exhaled shakily. This surely was a dream, an illusion? I mean, she had of course considered... but she never really believed... _

_But there she was after all this time._

_Alison was just meters from where the four of them were rooted at the edge of Spencer's lawn, standing in front of the very barn that she had last been seen._

_This was the girl that they'd known, most definitely, with the same glossy blonde locks framing her delicate face. Emily though had never seen Ali looking more fragile standing there with her shoulders slumped and those piercing blue eyes, no longer coolly calculating but instead brimming with unshed tears. The girl she knew was unrelenting, tenacious and exuded confidence. This girl was scared..._

_She felt the air shift as Aria took a tentative step forward. Ali flinched back in response and Emily felt her heart skip a beat._

_"It was you, wasn't it?" Aria said, halting immediately. "In Ravenswood?_

_Headlights bleached through the breaks in the tree branches, Emily kept her eyes firmly locked on Alison, afraid that if she looked away for even a second the girl would vanish into the night. In the distance the sound of a car door slamming reverberated through the deserted street._

_"Look, I don't have much time," Alison said, her voice quivering. "It's still not safe for me to be here."_

_"Ali, don't leave again." Emily whispered._

_"I wanna come home, but you have to help me." _

_"Why? Who are you afraid of?" Aria cut in._

_Alison's eyes found Hanna's._

_"Remember what I told you at the hospital, Hanna?"_

_"That was really you...?" _

_*SNAP*_

_Someone was coming. Emily heard the twigs breaking underfoot as they made their way through the cut leading to the Hastings back yard. They were coming straight for them._

_Was this it? Were they about to see 'A' for the first time? _

_The girls watched as a distorted shadow weaved over the side of the house. Emily's heart having almost stopped with the shock of seeing her dead best friend was now practically hammering against her chest._

_"Aria."_

_Ezra Fitz strode out from the shade and into the dim glow from the nearby porch light. He dug his hand into his jacket pocket._

_"You forgot your cellphone". He said, handing it over._

_The group of girls temporarily stunned by Ezra's sudden appearance whipped back around and stared out at the empty spot in front of the barn._

_And just like that, Alison was gone once again._


	2. Seeing Red Again

It was a testament to how messed up your life had become when you'd rather write a lengthy English Literature essay, than ruminate over your not-so-dead best friend's 'murder'.

The paper was 30% of the overall grade and was due early on the following Monday. She could ask for a weeks extension of course but each day meant a drop in credit and considering her poor performance in the year so far, Emily couldn't afford to take the risk.

She could either turn in an unpolished first draft and get a poor grade or take another week to write something more suitable and have a percentage deducted for late entry.

Either way Emily was screwed, but she wasn't the only one.

After receiving her predicted grades for the semester Spencer was horrified to discover that the inferior grade scrawled at the top of her previous exam paper was _not_ written in a moment of fatal error. Many would be happy with a 'B', Emily would be more than content, however to Spencer as a member of clan Hastings, anything that wasn't an 'A' was perceived as an outright insult and brought shame to her ancestors.

The girls being aware of each other's academic struggles promptly joined forces and agreed to take time for themselves that coming weekend. The plan was to pack up their books, seek refuge at The Brew and knuckle down to study.

A couple of hours spent sipping coffee and typing furiously while trying not to get distracted by the coffee shops comings and goings. It sounded so seductively 'normal' that Emily could hardly wait.

On Saturday morning Emily awoke to the sound the howling wind. She slowly, apprehensively cracked her eyes open and let out a sigh of relief when she recognised the pastel green comforter drawn up to her chin and familiar furnishings of her bedroom.

_Home at last._

After staying with Mrs Dilaurentis these past few weeks Emily had gotten used to waking up in Ali's old room. The first thing she became aware of in the haze between dreams and reality was how quiet the house was.

Emily had never known it to be so quiet. When Maya lived there, there was always music playing as an underscore to their conversations. When she was there with Ali the music was a great deal louder and came from down the hall, behind the locked door of Jason's room.

The times that she had slept over with the girls there was sounds of activity downstairs and if it was still too early for Ali's parents to be awake there was still the girls slow breathing and the occasional snore here and there to listen to when she couldn't quite drift off. Now the house was as quiet as a morgue, though thankfully now that the boiler had been fixed not as cold.

Emily had eventually gotten used to it. She'd learned to expect Mrs Dilaurentis too, who was now as eerily silent as the house. She could usually be found sitting by the window continuing on with her various knitting projects, if not, she would appear as if from nowhere like a ghost.

A trait shared with her daughter..

Who was still alive.

_Oh God._

As the days had went on it had grown increasingly uncomfortable being in that house knowing what she knew now.

She couldn't even look Jessica, as she now insisted she be called, in the eye without her stomach knotting up.

Mrs D was such a wonderful host which made Emily feel even worse for keeping this particular secret. She was attentive to their every need and seemed to enjoy the company immensely. It was heartbreaking when the time came to leave knowing how much their company would be missed.

The news that Emily and her mother could return home had come earlier in the week and had been a blessed relief to both of them but for entirely different reasons.

Her mother while grateful for the hospitality shown to them both had never been quite comfortable with the idea of being 'looked after' as she saw it. Emily on the other hand had just been desperate to escape the guilt and the memories that the house held at every turn.

~~ FLASHBACK ~~

_It was a warm and bright morning in June when Emily crossed the threshold into Alison's driveway and made her way to the front door. With clumsy hands she smoothed out her skirt, brushed invisible lint from the front of her polo shirt and adjusted her school back on her shoulder before finally ascending the steps._

_All at once she found herself on the porch as if the fifteen minute walk from her house to here had taken mere seconds._

_She rapped her knuckles three times against the solid oak door and it wasn't long before she heard the 'clack, clack, clack' of high heeled shoes approaching. Emily felt very lightheaded all of a sudden._

_The heavy door creaked open to reveal Mrs Dilaurentis wearing a freshly pressed, tailored pantsuit. She was adorned with a fine gold chain which hung just below her collar and Emily saw several rings glittering on her perfectly manicured fingers. It was not hard to imagine where Alison got her extravagance from._

_"Good morning Emily." Said Mrs D in her deep, gravelly voice. _

_"Good morning, Mrs Dilaurentis." Emily replied, with a small smile which the woman returned in kind._

_"Come in dear, Ali shouldn't be long." _

_Mrs Dilaurentis stepped back and motioned Emily to come in. Once inside she was lead to the living room to wait. Emily listened to the clicking of heels retreating and hugged herself nervously as she stood there._

_It wasn't her first time in the Dilaurentis house but being in Alison's home, surrounded by her possessions and even being around the girl herself gave Emily this weird feeling lately. Emily couldn't work it out. Whenever she was around Alison now she felt more 'awake'..._

_She was aware of every beat of her heart, every breath she took seemed more vital and her eyes saw more than they ever had. Emily kind of liked it but then again at times it could be quite terrifying._

_She'd find herself staring sometimes at Alison's hair.. her eyes... _

_Why was she so captivating all of a sudden?_

_As if she knew that was her cue to enter Alison sauntered in wearing a green dress which showed a modest amount of cleavage but possibly more leg than was actually allowed by the school dress code. She padded towards Emily in her bare feet, a pair of shoes dangling from her fingertips ._

_"Right on time." Alison said plonking herself down on the couch opposite her._

_Emily couldn't help but wonder about her own mothers reaction to a dress like that. She cringed at the thought. But that was Alison, always pushing the boundaries and toeing the line with what she could get away with. "How do you know the limits," She used to say. "If you don't push them?"_

_Emily watched Alison's fingers dance over the buckles of her suede wedges and felt her face heat up, another effect of being within Alison's immediate proximity, as her eyes followed the length of her smooth legs. From her skinny ankles, to slender calves to her lean thighs half hidden by the satin material of her dress._

_"You don't have to come all the way here you know." Alison said, tilting her head up. "I won't get lost."_

_"I don't mind." Emily said, quickly readjusting her gaze. _

_Alison rose gracefully and there was a moment where she looked at Emily unsure, confused even. She stood in front of her brow furrowed and her eyes searching. What for, Emily had no idea. Alison was a mystery at the best of times. However she must have found what she was looking for because the next moment a smile had spread across her face._

_It was like basking in the warmth of the sun._

_"Shall we?" She said, extending her arm for Emily to link._

Unbeknownst to Emily that had been the start of it all. Those feelings were the symptoms and consequently they were also warning signs, that you had a crush on your best friend...

* * *

Emily was glad of the scarf that Mrs D, had so kindly knitted for her during her brief stay as she stepped out of her front door. The weather had taken a turn for the worse over the last day or two bringing in cold winds that savagely ripped the remaining leaves from the trees and had also so far managed to shake loose some of the store signs on the Main Street.

The empty trash bins frequently found themselves venturing into their neighbours yards and the ladies of Rosewood had taken to wearing long coats in the hopes of avoiding unfortunate and embarrassing underwear flashing incidents ala Marilyn Monroe. There was no denying it though, winter was well on its way and for the fashionistas in town it was time to hang up their sun dresses and heels and layer up with woollen garments and break out some semi-sensible shoes.

Emily had chosen to garb herself in dark jeans and a comfortable pair of converse on that particular morning along with her signature flannel shirt, leather jacket and an oversized beanie which she tucked behind her ears.

With Mrs D's wide knit scarf of course which she wrapped up tightly around her neck and buried her chin inside to avoid the numbing cold air.

As soon as she stepped out the door she immediately regretted not tying her hair up. It was lapped up by the breeze and tossed about here, there and everywhere. By the time she had walked to Spencer's she had tucked the majority of it in her beanie not caring how ridiculous she looked.

She needn't have worried as she spotted Aria trotting up the road next to Spencer wearing a belted aviator coat over what appeared to be a cropped leopard print cardigan with more garments layered underneath. Meanwhile Spencer was her usual conservative self sporting a houndstooth patterned coat over dark skinny jeans with knee high riding boots.

The contrast between the two was jarring to say the least but it made Emily smile. Conventional and sophisticated on the one hand, eclectic and inventive on the other. They both were so utterly different in personality and yet as friends they somehow complemented each other. They all did.

Emily smiled warmly as they approached.

"Hey." She said, and quickly grabbed onto her beanie as a particularly violent gust rushed them. Emily gritted her teeth as cold air seeped through the material of her jeans.

"Hey, I brought along a stray." Said Spencer.

She tilted her head to the right indicating the smallest member of their group who was now loosely clutching Spencer's arm in fear that she might take off.

"Em, is it ok with you if i tag along?" Aria said.

"Sure, but i though you were seeing Jake today."

"Yeah i am." She said. "Not till later though. He has to teach a class this morning so i'm going to meet him at lunch."

Emily looked to Spencer who gave a little shrug in response.

She couldn't help but be slightly concerned. Aria was the creative type of the group and while having done her essay already and would be happy to help them where she could, she was known for becoming easily bored when studying and the like. She'd tap her pen and jiggle her feet. She'd sigh loudly and then play with her phone, also loudly.

Normally it was quite amusing and resulted in some interesting afternoons philosophising over the more ridiculous things in life like, _"Why do men have nipples?"_

But considering how pressed for time, not to mention how stressed out she and Spencer were they couldn't afford to do anything but school work.

"Don't worry," Aria said apparently sensing her concern. "While you two are swatting up i'll have Gatsby to keep me company."

She patted the side of her bag and gave Emily a toothy smile.

With that they began their slow walk into town. They cautiously passed the Dilaurentis house and glanced over the hedge. Emily's eyes went straight to the living room window and sure enough there was Jessica with a hot drink and a pair of knitting needles.

"I bet you're pleased to be out of there." Aria said in an undertone.

"It wasn't so bad." Emily lied. "But it _is_ good to be home."

She braced herself for the inevitable conversation but surprisingly Alison, 'A' and their Halloween misadventure wasn't broached by either of the girls. Emily released the breath that she had been holding and listened instead to Aria lamenting about her love life once again

"Em, what would you do?" Spencer asked.

"Huh?"

"Say you were Aria and you were seeing two guys, I mean girls, at the same time. How would you choose?"

"I couldn't date two people at the same time." Emily said. She definitely wasn't the type to play around like that.

"No, I know but lets say it just… 'poof'. Happened." Aria said. "I mean I really thought that Ezra and I were done but its funny how things turn out. So what would be your process of elimination?"

"Em?"

The sound of her name being called sounded so distant. Her eyes were locked on to a retreating figure making their way across the street and down the main road. Emily just caught the tail of her coat as it whipped around the corner. It was a few seconds before the colour registered in her mind.

It was red…

Before she knew what was happening she was at that corner. Her legs pumped and her heart raced as she skidded around it hooking onto the nearby lamppost for momentum before propelling herself after the girl.

She was only faintly aware of her heavy bag slamming into her hip on every alternative stride. The strands of blond hair spilling from underneath the hood of the girls coat were more important at that moment in time.

"Ali?" She shouted.

The figure stopped suddenly.

Emily's hand punched out and grabbed the girls shoulder and whirled her round to face her.

But it wasn't the face that Emily was expecting to find.


	3. Reading Between The Lines

**A/N:** Thanks for the feedback guys. Ok, the show is back on (finally). I planned this fic early in December based around a few spoilers floating about so more than likely its going to turn AU by the time its finished. I gots a plan and I'm going to stick to it, but I hope you continue to enjoy reading.

* * *

Emily blinked once, then twice, trying desperately to grasp what she was seeing. Hanna Marin was standing rigid in front of her, her blue eyes staring out from under the hood of the coat.

"Emily, I can _totally_ explain-"

"Hanna, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Said Spencer.

The two girls had finally caught up to Emily who was still clutching the bunched up material of the coat tightly in her fist.

It hadn't taken much for Spencer to catch up with Emily. Her long legs and training prepared her for the impromptu mad dashes that they undertook from time to time on their never ending quest for answers. She wasn't even out of breath. Aria on the other hand was panting heavily and massaging a stitch in her side by the time she reached them.

Hanna visibly paled at the sight of Spencer and the dangerous look that was being thrown her way, but despite that she managed to summon some reserve of inner strength.

Emily watched numbly as Hanna reached up and gently untangled her fingers from the coat's lapel. She then slowly guided Emily's hand back down to her side. Hanna set her shoulders back and raised her chin defiantly as Spencer advanced.

"Hi" She said, evidently opting for the nonchalant approach.

Spencer didn't stop until they were both face to face. Her boots scuffed against Hanna's on the damp pavement making the blonde jump back. Emily suspected it was a deliberate move on Spencer's part.

"_Hi?_" Spencer said. "That's all you can say?"

Her voice was low and even but her dark eyes, like stoked coals in a fire were blazing hot. Emily had been on the receiving end of Spencer's wrath. She herself had felt the heat of the glare that Hanna was now privy to. She watched her friend's resolve crumble immediately under its intensity as she knew it inevitably would.

"Guys, I'm going out of my friggin' mind here!" Hanna burst out. She looked imploringly to Aria and Emily in the vain hope that they'd save her.

"It's been like a month or something since we saw, you know... and i haven't heard one peep from _her_ or our favorite letter of the alphabet. Its just too quiet."

"So…what, is this some sort of role-play thing?" Spencer spat out. "Do you have a couple of hoodies stashed around here too?"

"No. I _can_ explain, Spencer. If you'd just let me-"

Emily was still reeling. Had she really thought it would be Alison? Dressed up in her now only too recognisable redcoat garb? And in public at that?

A target carelessly exposed in the open for its predator.

A dead girl walking around in the the light of day.

No. It was a stupid thing to even consider and things could never be that simple in Rosewood. No one was ever who they were pretending to be and now thanks to 'A' she had the clarity to see it.

So what was Hanna's angle? What would possess her to do something so stupid?

Spencer reached out and yanked down Hanna's hood causing the girls hair to whip wildly over her face.

"Well then, please _do_ explain." Spencer said.

She crossed her arms and watched with a slight quirk of her lips as the girl desperately struggled to untangle her blonde locks as the wind attacked it. Spencer's wicked smirk slid off her face immediately as Hanna managed to grab most of her hair and tuck it in her collar.

They watched her pick the last few strands from her sticky lip gloss and draw in a deep breath before continuing.

"I just thought i could get the ball rolling." Hanna began, glancing to each of them in turn.

"We're always being watched so I thought, why not poke the bear a little? Get someone's attention? You know, get things moving again."

"Are you _actually_ insane?" Aria said, finally recovered enough to speak.

Emily was beginning to wonder the same thing.

Hanna had changed a lot lately and it was painfully aware to them all why that was. It all came down to the long haired rogue that she was unmistakably in love with.

Caleb had agreed to stay behind in Ravenswood in an attempt to gain more information and shake out some leads for the girls. The plan was foiled from the get go since the lair that they discovered turned out to have been stripped clean within the same night they had found it.

The girls hadn't been able to access the computers when they were there. It required the skills of an experienced hacker and of course they knew one of those. But since there was no computers now, there was no need for a hacker. An ally on the inside though would be perfect.

Just because the lair was gone, it didn't mean that there wasn't any answers to be found in that creepy town. Which was the reason why he stayed.

His reports back however had yielded nothing. At least not yet. They were all still clinging onto the hope that something would turn up but it was looking more unlikely every day. Whoever had been using the building had been very careful to cover their tracks.

One day, out of the blue, Hanna had announced that her and Caleb were done. Like, _really_ done. The girls had swarmed around her offering support where they could and gently coaxing for answers but Hanna wasn't forthcoming regarding the details of the break up.

They all decided if she wasn't ready to tell them then they would wait until she was.

Although in light of Hanna's recent behaviour that decision was proving harder to stick to.

She wasn't reacting to the split like she normally would. There was no comfort eating or crying and no staying in bed for days on end. In fact it was the opposite.

Instead she had thrown herself into the deep end and was tirelessly working on finding out who 'A' was. She was even more obsessed than Spencer at times and would often call one of the girls in the middle of the night to discuss a theory. She even had a timeline of Ali's 'last days' hidden under her bed.

The girls were growing more worried about her each day and even though Spencer was angry, Emily could hear the fear creeping into her voice now.

"Take off the coat, Hanna. Take it off, now-" She said.

Spencer made to grab Hanna but the girl was too quick and batted her hand out the way.

"Why are you jumping down my throat, Spence? I thought you'd be pleased."

She didn't even see it. After everything they had been through over the past three years she still didn't understand the danger.

"This isn't a game!" Said Spencer. Her voice was dampened by the wind but not enough to stop a group of guys down the street from looking over in their direction.

"Where have you been for the last three years? Its been nothing but an exaggerated game of _Cluedo_" Hanna argued back.

Finally Emily found her voice.

"Guys, stop!" She said desperately.

She signalled to the group watching them intently from down the road, probably hoping for a cat fight to break out. One of the guys even had his phone at the ready but with one of Spencer's best glares directed his way he quickly pocketed it.

"Em's right." Said Aria, in an undertone. "Lets not do this here."

After a glance in Emily's direction, and no doubt seeing the look of complete shock mingled with unabashed confusion still upon her face Aria made her way over and placed her hand on Emily's shoulder in a effort to provide some small morsel of comfort.

It didn't do much to calm her nerves but Emily appreciated it all the same. Spencer turned back and addressed Hanna once more but this time she was far less hostile.

"This is tough on all of us Han but you're asking for trouble parading around dressed like Ali." She said.

"What happens if 'A' thought you _were_ her? You're already a pretty big target. This isn't Mona blackmailing us anymore. Our friend has been in hiding because this person wants her dead."

"Yeah and i want to know why." Hanna said.

"And you think we don't?" Aria cut in.

Hanna let out a heavy sigh and raked her fingers through her hair.

"We're just the prawns in all this, being moved around by whoever it is that's playing us and I'm sick of it." She said.

"I think you mean _pawns_, Hanna." Aria said, smirking.

"What?"

Spencer shook her head and smiled at Aria before continuing.

"Trust me Hanna, we _know_. In the past though, it hasn't worked out so well when one of us has gone rogue. So _please,_ next time you get an idea like this lets talk about it first."

"Yeah, so we can talk you out if it." Said Aria.

"Maybe you're right..."

"It's Spencer, when has she ever been wrong?"

Hanna smiled, but the smile immediately vanished as she turned to Emily.

"You ok em?" She said nervously.

"Yeah... Fine." Emily heard herself reply.

_Yeah right._

Of course she wasn't fine.

The way she had just launched herself after Redcoat like that was just plain scary. It was like she wasn't even in control anymore and she was just a spectator in her own head.

Emily could see herself running towards the figure and was powerless to resist. It was like being snared by some sort of a tractor beam.

What if it _had_ been CeCe? She had already tried to hurt her once. She would certainly not shy away from the chance to do it again.

But what was more worrying to Emily was the fact that when she saw Hanna's face she'd felt not only the shock at seeing her friend, but also the deadening feeling of disappointment in her chest. It wasn't the friend she had expected or perhaps hoped for…

Did she really _want_ it to have been Alison standing in front of her in that moment?

_Yes._

Emily felt physically sick at the thought.

"Come on, let's get some coffee it's freezing out here." Aria said, rubbing her hands together.

"How can you be cold?" Hanna said, incredulously. "You're wearing like, twelve jackets."

"Well evidently, twelve is not enough." Aria replied with a grin.

* * *

The Brew had always been a warm, comforting place for Emily.

She'd spent a great deal of time here over the years so it was easy to settle back and just chill. The squishy seats in the corner of the room were the best seats in the house as you had easy access to the counter and more importantly the caffeine, but also privacy since that section was boxed in.

That was where the four of them had set up camp for now.

Aria was curled up in a tall chair, her legs hooked over the arm rest with _The Great Gatsby_ open on her lap. Her eyes darted back and forth over the page as she read.

Hanna had stretched herself out on the couch with Spencer's laptop checking her messages while Spencer herself sat on the floor using the low coffee table to rest on. She was busy editing her already perfect essay, wielding a red ballpoint like a scalpel scoring through unneeded sentences and cutting out paragraphs like they were malignant growths.

Emily on the other hand just stared at the screen of her laptop her mind buzzing like there was a hive of bees in her head instead of brain cells. No matter how many times she read the essay question on the screen she just couldn't summon up the answer.

_Come on Em, you can do this. It's just a stupid essay._

Emily jumped suddenly when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She grabbed her laptop just in time before it slid off her lap and crashed to the floor.

She twisted round in her seat finding James, the newest member of the Brew's staff smiling down at her.

"James, hi."

"Hey Emily. Sorry to interrupt guys." James said, waving to the others who had looked up with interest.

"You left your book here the other night."

Emily's brow furrowed. She couldn't remember missing a book. In fact she wasn't reading anything apart from her school books and she rarely brought them to the coffee shop with her when she was working a shift.

"What book?"

Emily watched, intrigued as James produced an unfamiliar paperback from the pocket of his apron. It looked worn and old with yellowing pages and a faded cover.

"Great Expectations, it's yours isn't it? It's got your name inside."

He flicked to the title pages and sure enough there was her name neatly scrawled in black ink, but it definitely wasn't _her_ handwriting. In fact it looked more like…

_Alison._

No way. This couldn't be happening. All Emily had wanted was to have one normal day where she could do the stuff that normal teenagers did. It wasn't too much to ask, right?

But apparently it was.

The game was back on.

"Y-Yeah, that's mine…" Emily said, trying to keep her voice even. "Thanks James, I err, didn't realise."

Her hands shook slightly as she took the book from his.

"No problem. Catch you later." He said, and having spotted a customer approaching the counter quickly ran over.

Emily didn't even look up.

Her thumb stroked the wrinkled spine and she swallowed hard as the memories began to blur her eyes. She could hear Ali's voice in her head as clear as if she was in front of her now. She could still remember the warmth of her breath on her face and the feeling of Ali's lips pressed against hers for that brief moment.

It was too soon. She wasn't ready.

Emily had expected something like this. They were long overdue to be contacted by Alison but Emily hadn't expected it to be in this form. A note slipped into the mail maybe or a mysterious text, but nothing this personal.

Personal. Between her and Ali. That made Emily pause.

Emily was sorely tempted to look inside, but glancing up she found Hanna's eyes lingering on her and if Emily was right in thinking, then what was inside was intended for her, and her alone.

* * *

"Hanna, come on we're going to be late." Ashley Marin called from downstairs.

"Just a minute." Said Hanna as she crossed the threshold into her room.

She dropped her bag by the door and quickly went to the bed where she pulled out a small grey book from under her pillow. She started flipping through, her eyes skimming over the dates at the top of the pages. Hanna had to be quick. She wouldn't get another chance to look at the diary again tonight since her mom was dragging her out for a meal at short notice. An attempt to cheer up her forlorn teenager daughter, no doubt.

_I know I've seen it in here somewhere._

Hanna's hand stopped suddenly. She lowered herself to sit on the edge of the bed and traced her finger over the familiar loopy scrawl.

_So we got our novel for English last week and I've just finished it. 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens. I was bored stupid in the beginning but once the old hag Havisham was introduced I was gripped. I've only just gotten it back since my asshole brother Jason decided to be cute and hide it from me. When will he learn? I know every hiding place in this house. _

_Anyway, I liked the character Pip, he's so good, kind and he loved Estella despite the fact that she was a bitch. _

_"I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be."_

_Isn't that beautiful?_

_Estella is an intriguing one too. Raised to be deliberately cruel and even turning on her mentor. She was unable to be human in the fact that she had to control her own wants and pretend she didn't love Pip too. Yet Pip still loves her after all of that cruelty and sees the goodness in her. _

_In some ways I feel like Estella. I can't really be myself around people these days, not even my friends. Except maybe Emily. _

_Sweet Emily. _

_I can't quite work her out._

Hanna bit down on her lip and flipped one page and then another, stopping only when she saw Emily's name again.

_Emily kissed me today._

_I took refuge in the library with Dickens after fourth period and she must have had the same idea. _

_It was so quiet that it felt like we were the only ones even in there. I can't help letting my guard down when it's just the two of us_

_It was an innocent little kiss. Sweet and gentle just like her. But I dearly wish she hadn't done it . Anyone could have been spying on us. I don't want her to get hurt._

Hanna snapped the book shut and stowed it back under her pillow before digging in her pocket for her phone.

She swiped through her contacts till she found Spencer.

It didn't take the girl long to answer.

"Hello."

"Spence, hey." Hanna said, now standing and starting to pace.

"Listen," She said in a whisper. "I think that Emily is in contact with Alison."

"What! How?" Said Spencer.

"That book that was apparently left at the brew... It was one of Alison's favourites."

"I don't remember Ali mentioning it..."

"I do. She'd finished it before I'd even started the third chapter."

It was a lie but how else would Spencer believe her. The girls couldn't know about the diary… not yet anyway. Hanna wasn't ready.

"Spencer, my gut is telling me that we should pay attention to this." She said. "You know how Emily felt about Ali."

Hanna's gaze lingered on the pillow where Alison's diary was hidden. Thanks to that wretched thing she knew how Ali had felt about everyone in Rosewood and what she had gotten up to before she had 'died'. It made for interesting reading in parts but in others it was just plain uncomfortable. Hanna suppressed a shiver as she remembered a particular entry that she'd much rather forget.

The door suddenly flew open making Hanna nearly drop her phone in surprise.

"Hanna!" Mrs Marin said, impatiently. "Come _on_."

"Alright! Just give me a second." She said, readjusting the phone to her ear.

Mrs Marin rolled her eyes and left the room. Hanna could hear her muttering to herself as she descended the stairs once more.

"I've got to go. Will you please just check in on Emily for me? I may be wrong but-"

"Better to be safe than sorry. Got it." Spencer said, hanging up immediately.

Hanna sighed and clicked her phone off feeling some of her worry dissipate. She felt a great deal of comfort knowing that Spencer was on the case now. Give that girl a mission and success was 99.9% guaranteed.

For the first time since taking the diary, Hanna was glad that she had actually read it.

Perhaps they were finally getting the lead that they had been waiting for.


End file.
